【文章內容簡介】 wsers and chains to the rim without damaging it. Eventually chains were fixed to one end of the dish and a powerful winch was put into operation. The dish rose to the surface and was gently drawn towards the canal bank. For one agonizing moment, the dish was perched precariously on the bank of the canal, but it suddenly overbalanced and slid back into the water. The men were now obliged to try once more. This time they fixed heavy metal clamps to both sides of the dish so that they could fasten the chains. The dish now had to be lifted vertically because one edge was resting against the side of the canal. The winch was again put into operation and one of the men started up the truck. Several minutes later, the dish was successfully hauled above the surface of the water. Water streamed in torrents over its sides with such force that it set up a huge wave in the canal. There was danger that the wave would rebound off the other side of the bank and send the dish plunging into the water again. By working at tremendous speed, the men managed to get the dish on to dry land before the wave returned. 保險公司一般說來愿意承保一切東西。承辦公共財產(chǎn)或私人財產(chǎn)保險是世界上大部分國家的正常業(yè)務。如果你要舉辦一次露天游園會或盛宴，為避免碰上不好的天氣而遭受損失也同樣可以保險，不用說，保險公司承擔風險越大，你付的保險費也就越高。航運公司為打撈沉船而提出索賠，這是常有的事，但某地當局為打撈一只焙制餡餅的盤子提出索賠，倒是件新鮮的事兒。 這個餡餅盤子確實少見，有18英尺長，6英尺寬。某地方當局買下它用來焙制一個巨大的餡餅為一年一度交易會助興。餡餅委員會確認運輸這只盤子的最佳方案是通過運河水運。于是，他們對這只盤子的運輸安全投了保。盤子下水后不久，餡餅委員會成員們來到當?shù)匾患倚【频陸c賀。就在這個時候，許多十幾歲的孩子爬盤子舉行他們自己的集會。他們跳起了舞，盤子難以承受。舞會進行過程中，盤子傾覆，沉入了7英尺深的水中。 餡餅委員會給當?shù)仄囆蘩韼炖习宕螂娫?，他聞訊后開著一輛急修車前來打撈盤子。那些孩子們穿著濕衣服哆嗦，看著3個工人輪潛入水中以確定盤子的位置。他們沒費多大事兒就找到了盤子?？墒前驯P子撈出卻是一個很大的難題。盤子四邊十分光滑，要在盤邊拴上繩索或鏈條而同時又不損壞它是很難辦到的。不過，他們終于將鏈條固定在盤子的一端，一臺大功率的絞車開動起來。盤子慢慢浮出水面，被輕輕地拽向運河岸邊。在令人忐忑不安的瞬間，盤子晃晃悠悠地上了岸，但它突然失去了平衡，又跌回水中。工人們只得再來一次。這次，他們用沉重的金屬夾子把盤子夾住，以便往盤子上安裝鐵鏈。這次，盤子必須垂直吊出水面，因為盤子的一邊緊靠著運河河岸。絞盤機再次啟動，一位工人發(fā)動了急修車的引擎。幾分鐘后，盤子被成功地拽出了水面。波浪從盤子兩側急涌而出，在運河里掀起一股大浪。但是當波浪從河對岸折回來時，就有再次把盤子拖進水里的危險。工人們動作迅速，終于趕在那股大浪返回之前把盤子拽到了岸上。 Lesson44 Speed and fortPeople travelling long distances frequently have to decide whether they would prefer to go by land, sea, or air. Hardly anyone can positively enjoy sitting in a train for more than a few hours. Train partments soon get cramped and stuffy. It is almost impossible to take your mind off the journey. Reading is only a partial solution, for the monotonous rhythm of the wheels clicking on the rails soon lulls you to sleep. During the day, sleep es in snatches. At night, when you really wish to go to sleep, you rarely manage to do so. If you are lucky enough to get a couchette, you spend half the night staring at the small blue light in the ceiling, or fumbling to find your passport when you cross a frontier. Inevitably you arrive at your destination almost exhausted. Long car journeys are even less pleasant, for it is quite impossible even to read. On motorways you can, at least, travel fairly safely at high speeds, but more often than not, the greater part of the journey is spent on narrow, bumpy roads which are crowded with traffic. By parison, trips by sea offer a great variety of civilized forts. You can stretch your legs on the spacious decks, play games, swim, meet interesting people and enjoy good foodalways assuming, of course, that the sea is calm. If it is not, and you are likely to get seasick, no form of transport could be worse. Even if you travel in ideal weather, sea journeys take a long time. Relatively few people are prepared to sacrifice up to a third of their holidays for the pleasure of travelling on a ship. Aeroplanes have the reputation of being dangerous and even hardened travellers are intimidated by them. They also have the grave disadvantage of being the most expensive form of transport. But nothing can match them for speed and fort. Travelling at a height of 30,000 feet, far above the clouds, and at over 500 miles an hour is an exhilarating experience. You do not have to deviseways of taking your mind off the journey, for an aeroplane gets you to your destination rapidly. For a few hours, you settle back in a deep armchair to enjoy the flight. The real escapist can watch a free film show and sip champagne on some services. But even when such refinements are not available, there is plenty to keep you occupied. An aeroplane offers you an unusual and breathtaking view of the world. You soar effortlessly over high mountains and deep valleys. You really see the shape of the land. If the landscape is hidden from view, you can enjoy the extraordinary sight of unbroken cloud plains that stretch out for miles before you, while the sun shines brilliantly in a clear sky. The journey is so smooth that there is nothing to prevent you from reading or sleeping. However you decide to spend your time, one thing is certain: you will arrive at your destination fresh and uncrumpled. You will not have to spend the next few days recovering from a long and arduous journey. 出遠門的人常常需要決定是走旱路、水路，還是坐飛機。很少有人能夠真正喜歡坐幾個小時以上的火車。車廂很快就變得擁擠、悶熱，想擺脫開旅途的困擾是很難的?？磿荒芙鉀Q部分問題。車輪與鐵軌間單調的嘎喳聲很快就會送你進入夢鄉(xiāng)。白天是忽睡忽醒，到了夜晚，你真想睡了，卻很難入睡。即使你走運弄到一個臥鋪，夜間有一半時間你會盯著車頂那盞小藍燈而睡不著覺；要不然就為查票摸索你的車票。一旦抵達目的地，你總是疲憊不堪。乘汽車作長途旅行則更加不舒服，因為連看書都幾乎不可能。在公路上還好，你至少能以相當快的速度安全地向前行。但旅行的大部分時間都花在路上，而且只有很少的服務設施，交通也很擁擠。相比之下，坐船旅行或環(huán)游可以得到文明世界的各種享受。你可以在甲板上伸展四肢、做游戲，還能也很見到各種有趣的人，能享用各種美味佳肴——當然，這一切只有在大海風平浪靜的情況下才有可能。如果大海肆虐起來，你就可能暈船，那種難受勁兒是任何一種別的旅行的方式都不會帶來的。即使風平浪靜，坐船旅行也要占用很長時間。沒有多少人會為享受坐船旅行的樂趣而犧牲假期的時間。飛機以危險而著稱，連老資格的旅行者也怕飛機。飛機另一個缺點是昂貴。但就速度與舒適而言，飛機是無與倫比的。騰云駕霧，在30，000 英尺高空以500英里的時速旅行，這種經(jīng)歷令人心曠神怡。你不必想辦法去擺脫旅途的困擾，因為飛機會迅速地把你送到目的地。幾小時之內，你躺在扶手椅上，享受著旅途的歡樂。真正會享受的人還可以在某些航班上看一場電影和喝香檳。即使沒有這些消遣條件，也總是有事可做。飛機上，你可以觀察世界上非同尋常的奇妙的美景。你毫不費勁地飛越高山幽谷，你確能飽覽大地的風貌。如果這種景色被遮住了，你可以觀賞一下展現(xiàn)在你面前的、一望數(shù)英里的、連綿不斷的云海，同時陽光燦爛，天空清澈明朗。旅途平穩(wěn)，絲毫不妨礙你閱讀或睡眠。不管你打算如何消磨時間，有件事是可以肯定的，即當你抵達目的地時，你感到精神煥發(fā)，毫無倦意，用不著因為漫長的旅途的辛苦而花幾天時間休息來恢復精神。Lesson45 The power of pressIn democratic countries any efforts to restrict the freedom of the press are rightly condemned. However, this freedom can easily be abused. Stories about people often attract far more public attention than political events. Though we may enjoy reading about the l